> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.wem.io/platform/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.wem.io/platform/wemreference/data-types/number.md).

# Number

### Description

A **Number** field is used to store numeric values. The value can be positive or negative and may contain a fractional component (decimals). Number fields can be used in calculations and in mathematical functions within the platform.

When numeric values are displayed on a page, the formatting (such as the thousand-grouping character and decimal separator) is determined by the language settings of the project.

The numeric input field allows numbers of up to **18 digits** (for example: `123456789012345678`). When more digits are entered, the system will display the validation message **`“This is not a valid number.”`**

However, it is important to understand that numeric values follow the **IEEE 754 floating-point standard**, which is also used in many widely used technologies such as **Microsoft Excel and .NET**. Due to this standard, numeric values are stored with a precision of approximately 15 significant digits.

This means that numbers containing more than **15 significant digits cannot always be represented exactly** as numeric values. In such cases, rounding or precision loss may occur during calculations, storage, or data mapping.

If an application needs to store or process numbers with more than **15 digits of precision** (for example identifiers, long reference numbers, or financial identifiers), these values should be stored and handled as **text/string fields instead of numeric fields**.

For additional background and examples, see the related forum discussion:\
[**Large Numbers can be presented in unexpected form**](https://forum.wem.io/link?threadid=808)

### Formatting

The formatting of numbers can be controlled using format strings. Some examples for formatting `1054.32179` are shown below.

```
0000               /* 1054 */
#,000.000          /* 1,054.322 */
000,000,000.00###  /* 000,000,001,054.32179 */
```

### Unknown

An unknown value can be written as `UnknownNumber`.

### Examples

```
1
0
3.14
-1
-0.0054825
```


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